HOUSTON -- The Browns watched three more starters go down Sunday, safety T.J. Ward, receiver Mohamed Massaquoi and right tackle Tony Pashos. Things won't get any easier for this beleaguered team if they miss much time.

All three will undergo further exams on Monday, including an MRI for Ward. Here's the rundown:

• Ward left after the second play with a dislocated finger, but returned at the end of the half and started the third quarter. But he suffered a right foot injury and left the stadium in a walking boot. He also had a splint on the finger.

"Second play, I dislocated my finger," said Ward. "I got up on it, looked at my hand and it was pointing in two directions. Then later I came back, got some X-rays, everything cleared out and wanted to play.

"[Then] I just felt my foot pop around my arch. So I went and got some X-rays. Nothing's broken, but we'll see if there's anything else wrong with it when we get back."

Ward was largely unable to help a defense that surrendered 124 yards rushing to Arian Foster and 115 to Ben Tate.

"That's what hurt the most -- seeing my team struggle like that and you can't really do nothing about it," he said. "Was killing me. It was just a long day. Rough day. Rough, rough day."

• Massaquoi was returning from a concussion that kept him out of last week's game, but felt woozy and left the game by the end of the third quarter.

• Pashos, who's been battling through a left ankle injury, hurt a knee sometime in the first half and was replaced by Artis Hicks.

"It's always tough when you lose someone, but we have to be able to overcome it," said left tackle Joe Thomas.

Waiting for you know who: The Browns are hopeful that running back Peyton Hillis can return soon from his pulled hamstring and won't have to go on injured reserve. He's expected to miss at least a couple of games after re-injuring it on Friday.

"At this point, what we're trying to do is get him healthy so he can play," said head coach Pat Shurmur.

Not the best start: Running back Chris Ogbonnaya wanted to come back to his hometown and his former team and prove that he can play. Instead, he fumbled the ball away on the Browns' first snap, and the Texans soon converted it into seven points.

"I just got it popped out," he said. "Pure and simple. I've gotta take care of the ball. I can't put our team in that kind of hole. I have to be better. Good teams capitalize on those kinds of things."

With the Browns down, 14-0, in the first quarter, the running game went south and Ogbonnay totaled 28 yards on 13 carries. Newly-signed Thomas Clayton ran five times for 10 yards.

No joshing, he's angry:Josh Cribbs is still frustrated he can't do more to the help the team. He caught a two-yard TD pass, his second in as many weeks -- and caught all five balls thrown his way for 50 yards. He also had a 63-yard kickoff return but was flagged for a facemask after a stiff-arm. The play led to a Phil Dawson 50-yard field goal.

He also helped the Browns get into field-goal range on Dawson's 51-yarder with a 15-yard catch over the middle. So if not for Cribbs, they may not have scored at all.

"I only can control what I can control," he said. "When my number's called, I just try to come to life and do what I can do from my perspective, special teams and whenever I'm on the offense. I don't know the answers."

He said he ran with anger on the kickoff return.

"Yeah, because you know I want to do everything," he said. "But when it all comes down to it, I'm one guy. I only can do what's in my control, what's in my ability.

"Guys are frustrated all around. You hear [tight end] Alex Smith screaming out and voicing his opinion because we're only individuals when it comes down to it. We only can do what we can do."

He now has 31 career kickoff returns of 40 yards or more, which leads all active NFL players.

Hard times for rookie:Greg Little caught two of the eight passes thrown his way and dropped one or two. He also forgot to stop on a pass at the end of the second half that was picked off. Over the past two weeks, he's caught six of the 19 passes thrown his way.

The Browns have tried to make the first-year receiver their big playmaker, but it's just not there yet.

Drawing blood: Guard Shawn Lauvao was flagged 15 yards for unnecessary roughness at the end of the first half after he may have head-butted Brian Cushing. Cushing had blood pouring down his face during the game, but it's uncertain if it occurred during the confrontation.

"We talked after the game and couldn't agree who did it first," said Cushing. "We were playing ball and it just went a little far."

As for the headbutt, Lauvao said, "don't believe everything you hear."

Going deep: Dawson now has six field goals of 50 yards or more this season, tied for third all-time in a single season. He's made five field goals of 50 or more yards in the last three games.

Sunday was Dawson's third consecutive game with at least one field goal of 50 yards or longer, which ties career-best stretch set in 2008.

Maybe Dawson was showing off for former President George H.W. Bush, who was an honorary captain met with Dawson before the game.

Imposing the Texans' will: Tight end Owen Daniels said the Texans wore the Browns down:

"I think it started from that first drive. I think we definitely wore them down," he said. "That is what happens when you run the ball like we did today and get the kind of push we were getting. The running backs were three, four, five yards up the field before anyone touched them. It was a great job up by everyone up front."

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